title: Biomimicry and the culinary arts.
abstract: We present the results of a recent collaboration between scientists, engineers and chefs. Two particular devices are developed, both inspired by natural phenomena reliant on surface tension. The cocktail boat is a drink accessory, a self-propelled edible boat powered by alcohol-induced surface tension gradients, whose propulsion mechanism is analogous to that employed by a class of water-walking insects. The floral pipette is a novel means of serving small volumes of fluid in an elegant fashion, an example of capillary origami modeled after a class of floating flowers. The biological inspiration and mechanics of these two devices are detailed, along with the process that led to their development and deployment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrés
authors.forename: John W M
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bush
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D003296:Cooking / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D008422:Materials Testing; D012767:Ships